Razorback announces parting of ways with frontman Kevin Roy

“We regret to announce that, due to circumstances beyond our control, we have parted ways with our singer and brother, Kevin Roy. We wish him luck in his future endeavors. Razorback will forge ahead and give you Boars the Rakenrol you deserve. See you in the shows to come.”

That was the surprising Facebook post by the hard rock Filipino band Razorback Sunday, June 10 as the group formally announced its split with longtime vocalist Kevin Roy. No reason was given for the separation.

Prior to the announcement, both the band and Roy have been performing separately as of late. This month, Razorback performed with guest vocalist Nicole Asensio and guest guitarist Ira Cruz on several dates this month including at the controversial “Pepe Smith Rockfest” last June 2. Roy, on the other hand, has been performing with guitarist Kess Cheng in a series of shows dubbed as “Guilty Acoustic Pleasures” in various venues.

Formed in 1990, Razorback was a mainstay at the now defunct Kalye bar in Makati and together with Wolfgang pioneered a hard rocking sound influenced by heavy metal icons Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath and Iron Maiden. Pinoy Rock legends the Juan dela Cruz band was also a major influence. Between 1995 to 2014, the band released a total of nine albums and was known for crowd pleasing tunes like “Giyang,” “Tabi ng Bulkan,” “Pepe D’ Hepe,” “Payaso,” “Ikot ng Mundo” and “Lunatic.”

There were several personnel changes over the course of the band’s career. Original vocalist Jose Mari Cuervo was replaced by Roy, younger brother of ill-fated Pinoy Rock legend Karl Roy, just before the band started enjoying mainstream success. Later, original drummer Miguel Ortigas and original guitarst David Aguirre also departed. The band’s current line-up consists of founding members Tirso Ripoll on guitar, Louie Talan on bass, former RJ Guitar Center drum instructor Brian Velasco on drums and former Wolfgang guitarist Manuel Legarda on the other guitar.

Kevin Roy (Photo by Yummie Dingding/Concept News Central)

At the height of the band’s popularity, Razorback headlined their own concerts and opened for acclaimed foreign rock acts like Silverchair, Rage Against The Machine and Metallica.

Edwin P. Sallan is a seasoned journalist that has written about a wide array of subjects and in recent years, has been covering entertainment. Like most entertainment writers, what he really wants to do is entertain.

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